Space weather: Fine, with a chance of solar flares

A mid-level flare erupted on the left side of the sun on July 8, 2014. This image from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory highlights the high-temperature solar material in a flare, which is typically colorized in teal.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which observes the sun 24 hours a day, captured this image of a solar flare on June 10.

NASA captured this second flare, which appears as a bright flash on the left side of the sun, June 10.

A coronal hole, almost square in its shape, is one of the most noticeable features on the sun on May 5-7, 2014. A coronal hole is an area where high-speed solar wind streams into space. It appears dark in extreme ultraviolet light as there is less material to emit in these wavelengths. Inside the coronal hole you can see bright loops where the hot plasma outlines little pieces of the solar magnetic field sticking above the surface. Because it is positioned so far south on the sun, there is less chance that the solar wind stream will impact us here on Earth.

A large active region is giving off warning signs that this could be the source of powerful solar storms. It has already shot off two smaller flares (Jan. 2, 2014) as shown here in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light.

This image from the Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the sun on July 12, 2012 during an X1.4 class flare. The image is captured in the 304 Angstrom wavelength, which is typically colorized in red.

This image combines two sets of observations of the sun on July 12, 2012 from the SDO to give an impression of what the sun looked like shortly before it unleashed an X-class flare.

A very large filament became unstable and erupted June 27, 2012 as seen by the STEREO Ahead spacecraft in a wavelength of extreme UV light.

Active Region 1514 just could not contain itself as it popped off over a dozen flashes, minor eruptions, and flares over almost two days June 27-29, 2012.

Two areas of dark plasma that were close together danced and entwined with each other over a one-day period March 27-28, 2012. The dark plasma, seen in profile, was somewhat cooler and therefore darker than the material around it.

This close-up view of a prominence reveals magnetic forces at work as they pull plasma strands this way and that before it gradually breaks away from the sun over a one-day period November 14-15, 2011.

Sunspots, which are cooler, darker areas of intense magnetic activity, are most often the source of solar storms. If we take the observations of the sun's lower atmosphere in extreme ultraviolet light July 17-18, 2011.

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Spectacular solar flares

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Space Weather Prediction Center watches skies for solar activity

Coronal mass ejections can disrupt satellites and power grids

The sun is at its "solar maximum" -- but its activity is described as "modest"

The Art of Movement is a monthly show that highlights the most significant innovations in science and technology that are helping shape our modern world.

Boulder, Colorado (CNN) -- From Earth, the sun appears as a constant circle of light, but when viewed in space a brilliant display of motion is revealed.

Flares that light up the galaxy and eruptions that can be as large as 30 times the Earth's surface occur regularly. During the peak of the 11-year solar cycle, these events can happen several times a day.

The flares and eruptions are collectively known as space weather and although they create dazzling visuals in space, it isn't just a harmless fireworks show for the galaxy. Each burst of energy can have a disrupting effect on systems we rely on every day.

With their headquarters next to the Rocky Mountains in the state of Colorado, a team of forecasters aims to minimize that impact.

"That's really where the magnetic fields of the sun poke through the surface and kind of hold that part of the surface in place allowing it to cool -- that's why it appears dark."

Gas rolls up and down the sun's outer layer, similar to the bubbles in boiling water. When the magnetic field around a sun spot breaks, magnetic energy explodes in the solar atmosphere like a pot boiling over.

The size and position of sun spots can give forecasters a clue as to when or where a solar flare may bubble up. They produce daily forecasts that are important to the industries most vulnerable.

"Space weather can have a variety of impacts across many different customer bases -- commercial aviation, precision GPS use, power grid operations -- all these are really critical," says Rutledge.

The sun is currently at its "solar maximum" -- the point in its cycle where it is at peak activity -- but the SWPC says that activity is modest compared to recent cycles.

Nonetheless, last week the center reported that the sun had produced a "moderate-level" solar flare, which had "short-lived impacts to high frequency radio communications on the sunlit side of Earth."

Solar flares can send blasts of radiation through space that can interfere with satellites and even harm astronauts during spacewalks.

"So when an eruption happens -- when we have that flash of light, those radio waves -- that takes eight minutes to get from the sun to the Earth. So as soon as we start the measurement, it's already affecting the sunlit side of the Earth," explains Rutledge.

Innovations in spacecraft by NASA are showing us some of the best images of the sun we've ever seen -- giving us a clearer picture and hopefully a better understanding of space weather.

But there is still much mystery to the 4.5 billion-year-old star and the emissions that are blasted through space, so scientists and forecasters will continue to watch every movement.